The Draft is just around the corner but armchair coaches are still digging through Madden 23 playbooks. The search for any small edge in Ultimate Team or Franchise Mode continues all year long here on RealSport101, so if you are looking for the best playbooks you've come to the right place.
Playbooks are your menu of plays in Madden 23. They possess a range of formations that your team knows and plays they can use. Each one is slightly different and you will have one for offense and one for defense.
Some are better suited to running the ball while others focus on a wide array of passing plays. Others are blitz-heavy with a focus on rare fronts while others are classic and solid. We've got details on some of the best playbooks in Madden 23 and top plays you can find in those and others. These will probably be good for Madden 24 too!
Madden 23 best playbooks
While some players are happy to go with whichever playbook their team or coach comes armed with, most want to know exactly which is the best. Well, there is no absolute "meta" playbook in Madden 23, but there are some that contain a range of unique or rare plays along with formations that can cause defenses real problems.
Seasoned players will likely have a favourite playbook, but they can change from year to year as they do reflect real life, albeit on a bit of a delay. Well, we are pretty far into this year's Madden cycle now and the playbooks are locked in. We've gone hunting for exactly which one is best for offense and defense.
There are definitive favourites each year, but they tend to shift a little as the most powerful meta-plays reveal themselves and the gameplay itself adjusts.
We've pulled together some of our favourite playbooks, as well as some general playcalling tips and tricks in this article so enjoy!
Best Madden 23 playbook offense
Last year, the New England Patriots had one of the top options, and once again we absolutely love the Patriots offensive playbook. It's not changed much over the last few years, despite Josh McDaniels finally moving on from the team.
The Patriots playbook still has a great balance of power running formations and spread out passing ones. With triple TE singleback and full empty formations that still use classic personnel groupings it is a nightmare for defenses to predict and react to.
Trips TE Flex remains one of the most potent formations in the game, with the always-great PA Crossers play and enough variety in that formation alone to pick the AI apart in franchise mode.
When taking it to MUT or an online franchise you can utilise the range of crossing, motion, and power running to really keep a defense off balance.
While there are slight differences, the Las Vegas Raiders playbook is very similar to the Patriots and is a definite strong option as well.
A dark horse top option this year is actually the Detroit Lions who have Trips TE, Gun Bunch, and Bunch TE options that could make it a key competitive choice.
Best Madden 23 playbook defense
One of the most reliable playbooks from Madden 22 returns. The Alternate 46 playbook is one of the best Madden 23 playbooks on the defensive side of the ball.
While there were some changes, Alternate 46 still has Big Nickel and 3-3-5 Cub options, the latter of which replaces 3-3-5 Wide from Madden 22.
The Baltimore Ravens aren't far behind with a lot of great formations to pick from including 2-4-5 DBL A Gap, 3-3-5 Cub, and Big Dime 1-4-6.
However, there is one that has gone under the radar this year. The Chicago Bears defensive playbook is very quietly a strong contender. Boasting Dime 1-4-6, 3-3-5 Wide, 3-3-5 Will, and Even 6-1 formations it has a lot of ways to stop some of the most frequently used offensive plays.
Custom playbooks
One of the best things about Madden 23 is making your own custom playbook. This can be done for Franchise Mode, but you can't take your custom books into Ultimate Team, so getting familiar with one of the playbooks we've mentioned above is a must if you are playing there.
To create a custom playbook go to the main menu and head over to the NFL logo. It's tucked away on the right-hand side, so is easy to miss. From that NFL logo you can select the "Playbooks" tab.
From here you can select a playbook to copy and edit. You have a limit on formations, sets, and plays so you will want to remove any formations you don't use if you are really going all-out in creation!
Once you've picked out the plays and formations you want then you can simply save your custom playbook under whatever name you want. It will then be available to use in the playbook selection screen in Franchise Mode.
Best Plays in Madden 23
As the year has ticked by, the best plays in Madden 23 have started to become more and more clear.
Whether you're looking to dominate in competitive MUT play or just want an edge in your Madden 23 Franchise Mode save, some plays stand above the rest.
The best plays in Madden 23 don't always guarantee touchdowns, no play can do that. However they can work against basically any defense as long as you are reading your keys right.